The Charlotte City Council will hold a public hearing this evening on a proposed 5-year extension of the PCCO Mitigation Fee program, and it will be CRITICAL for members of the development industry to attend and voice their support.

The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 East Fourth St. in Uptown.

First adopted in 2011, the program gives developers an alternative approach to meeting the on-site storm water requirements of the Post-Construction Controls Ordinance (PCCO) on redevelopment sites. Staff recommended a five-year extension, with additional requirements for the use of “low-cost, onsite control measures” (ie, catch basin inserts) for redevelopment projects with surface parking.

Last month, City Council’s Environment Committee voted 3 – 1 to recommend extending the program without the additional requirements, which were recommended to add between $2,000 and $3,000 per acre in compliance cost, plus another $1,000 per year for maintenance.

REBIC will be speaking in support of the extension this evening, and we need members of our industry to join us at the hearing. It is particularly important for you to attend if your company has made us of the Mitigation Fee for an infill or redevelopment project.

Council will vote next month on whether or not to extend the program. The current Mitigation Fee program expires October 31st.